Pre-Departure Phase
The following are all the steps I took as part to applying and preparing for my study abroad term. The very first step you take if you're considering about studying abroad is making a firm decision about studying abroad. For some students, studying abroad no longer becomes an option if mandatory classes cannot be taken abroad in the near future. For others with a less rigid schedule, some aspects about studying abroad such as finances need to taken into consideration. Studying abroad is a major decision that one needs to be committed to, and that was one I took. Pre-Application Steps After I firmly decided to study abroad sometime my first semester of freshman year, I first had to take the appropriate steps to * Talked to someone who previously studied abroad - For me, the person who sparked my interested was my engineering orientation ELA, Ashley, who studied abroad in Sweden her sophomore year yet traveled all around. In a meeting I had with her, she explained the study abroad website, the site to visit pre-approved classes, as well as the application * Talked to a departmental advisor - In my second semester, I spoke with my advisor, Becky, about classes I would need to take second semester of sophomore year, as well as outlined my classes schedule for the next year, including classes I would need to take in the summer to advance more. After taking their advice and making sure my decision was not only firm but visible, I could start my application. IPENG Application I first began my approach by visiting UIUC's Grainger Engineering study abroad programs. These list all the exchange partner programs of the University approved for engineering students. The first step is choosing which country you desire to not just visit, but see yourself living in. Just as I was firm on studying abroad, one needs to be firm on where to study abroad. I was drawn to France, stemming from a desire to visit France represent from a small Eiffel Tower in my room. Of course, every program has different requirements and offerings, ranging from GPA limits to academic catalogs. In my case, I met the 2.75 GPA threshold for the 'Engineering in France - CEA Paris' program, and the program had three critical classes - the equivalent of TAM 212, PHYS 213, and MATH 285 - that I needed to take. Once I chose my program, I had to complete the application. For spring programs, the deadline was September 15th, 2019. Other programs, such as fall, summer or even academic year ones have different deadlines. Pre-Decision Once you choose your desired country and city's study abroad program, you begin its IPENG application to study abroad on the My Study Abroad main module. As I learne later on, this actually wasn't the real application for the study abroad program. This application's main purpose is to inform and get approved to study abroad by IPENG and the University. Similar to websites like Compass2g and Moodle, there are certain assignments one most complete to finish the application by the deadline. There will be papers and forms to electronically sign, small questionnaires that are easy to fill out and answer, and documents to deliver, such as ordering an official transcript to IPENG and getting my passport copied (I had to apply for an American passport before I started the school year!). After the deadline, in my case, I received my acceptance letter from IPENG. From then, I had five days to either Withdraw from studying abroad without penalty or Commit to studying abroad. This is where you have to make your final, solid decision about spending your school term abroad. If you proceed along but decide to withdraw later, there was a November 30th deadline to notify IPENG about withdrawal. Post-Decision Once your application is in Post-Decision (after which you Commit to studying abroad), there are more modules to complete - meaning more forms to sign, more small questionnaires as well as some reading materials and small assessments. While there is an unofficial deadline of November 1st to complete the Post-Decision modules, I found it easier to complete in the weeks before departure, specifically before the end of my fall semester after I've completed major requirements, such as my study abroad program CEA's own pre-departure checklist, flight itinerary, getting my visa, etc. Program Application Once IPENG informed me and CEA about my application, I began the application to CEA, which worked similarly like the Pre- and Post-Decision assignments on My Study Abroad - I had to upload certain documents such as passport information and copied scans, complete housing assignments, upload visa information, etc., on a timely basis that begins immediately after acceptance and ends December 23rd, two weeks before the start of the program. Getting My Visa Some countries don't require a student visa for those staying over a typical period of 90 days, but France is one. Different countries also have different procedures, so the following steps on what it took to get my visa is specifically for the country of France and its territories and may not accurately represent the visa process for other countries. Early on, my CEA pre-departure advisor, Lisa, said I would need a visa for the program, and sent me a step-by-step guide to getting my visa. First, I began by making an account on a site called Etudes en France (Study in France), where I submitted my initial visa application and then had to book an appointment to surrender all my documents for the visa at a VFS center (basically an offshoot of the French Consulate used for visa processing). Thankfully, I booked it on November 26th, where I gave several documents CEA sent me, copies and originals of my passport plus a photo, the application itself among other documents such as notarized bank statements. Two weeks later, my processed passport arrived with my visa stamped on it. The process takes some time, especially the acceptance of the application on Etudes en France that takes about two or three weeks. The process can be quite detailed despite this small summary, but it's not such a hassle rather than simply a long wait to receive it if you take the time to gather and scan the proper documents. LAS 291/292 As you will later learn through IPENG's mandatory orientation, these LAS 'classes' function as a more in-depth tool to prepare for your term abroad. LAS 291 functions as another pre-departure module that must be completed before you leave, whereas LAS 292 is a *graded* class where I will have to complete, which consists of biweekly small assignments while I'm abroad. LAS 292 concludes with a final project due six months after the study abroad term concludes.